Various devices have been developed to provide comfort and assist in the rehabilitation of those suffering from spasticity of the hand muscles. In order to prevent cramping, nerve damage and possible muscle atrophy, it is often desirable to maintain the patient's hand in a planar orientation. Toward this end, many splint-like devices have been developed. None of the devices so far developed provide adjustments for radial orientation of the patient's thumb.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,743 issued to Bishop is directed to a hand-restraining device made of a rigid material. The hand-restraining device consists of a support member and a series of restraining straps used to secure a hand through the front surface of the support. A rigid knuckle-restraining piece on one of the straps is used to prevent bending of the knuckles. Two thumb/baby finger portions are included and the rear portion is extended to engage the forearm of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,963 issued to Keropian, discloses an articulated hand brace. Here, a very complex articulated thumb guide is pivotally coupled to a portion of a hand support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,482,168, issued to Betcher is directed to an upper extremity hand orthosis and method of use. The hand orthosis has a palm area in which a hand is positioned for support of a patient's fingers and right or left thumb in a spaced apart configuration. Two separate pairs of overlapping and connectable straps are positioned to encircle the hand, wrist and fingers of the user to keep movement to a minimum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,945, issued to Gray is directed to a splint/therapeutic device. The splint can restrict a user's hand to a desired body position and provide a pre-selected degree of mobility, such as preventing the fingers of the hand from curling toward the wrist. Various straps and hook-and-loop type fasteners may be used as needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,995, issued to Thibodo, Jr. is directed to a splint system for two or more adjacent fingers of the hand. The splint can be used for maintaining the fingers in a straight line.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,401, issued to Tupper is directed to a surgical retractor. A hand is positioned on a thin flat paddle-shaped pallet such that the fingers lie on the pallet between pairs of elongated slots, with the wrist lying between another pair of elongated slots such that, with the use of elastic finger bands and wrist bands, the hand is held in place and flexing of the fingers is prevented.
While other variations exist, the above described designs for hand supports and splints are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide a hand support for spasticity victims that maintains the hand in a planar orientation. It is a further objective to provide a support that is comfortable for the spasticity victim to wear and is easily installed and removed. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide the above-described capabilities in an inexpensive and durable support that may be easily cleaned and is light in weight. It is yet a further objective to provide a series of accessories for use with the support that will encourage retraining of the muscles of the spasticity victim's hand and arm.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.